1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing device, which fixes an image on a recording medium by a method of fixing the image with heat and an image forming apparatus in which the fixing apparatus is installed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some image forming apparatus such as a printer or a copying machine reverses a sheet of paper on which an image is fixed by a fixing device to fix the image on the other surface (surface on the back of the surface on which the image is fixed). At this time, a minimum function for forming an image is given to an apparatus body, and a device (paper reversing device) for reversing a sheet of paper is optionally arranged in the apparatus.
The paper reversing device serving as an optional device is detachably loaded on the image forming apparatus body. A switching gate arranged near a paper delivery unit of the image forming apparatus body is switched to guide a sheet of paper to the paper delivery unit or a reversing roller of the paper reversing device (Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 6-110274).
However, in the image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 6-110274, a switching gate for switching a destination for conveyance of a sheet of paper to the paper delivery unit or the reversing roller of the paper reversing device is arranged in the paper reversing device. For this reason, when a sheet of paper is conveyed to the paper reversing device, a path length of the sheet of paper to the switching gate becomes long. As a result, time required for a printing process (throughput) disadvantageously becomes long.